2021 Jeep Gladiator Problems

What owners report

Complaints about the 2021 Jeep Gladiator cluster around two things: vague, wandering steering and a violent front-end shake at highway speed that owners often call the "death wobble." Manual-transmission owners also report clutch overheating messages and repeated replacements, while diesel and gasoline owners describe stalling and fuel-pump-related failures. Many reports come in at low mileage — steering concerns frequently appear in the first few thousand miles — while transmission and suspension reports tend to arrive later.

1. 1
   Steering

   Wandering, loose steering and highway front-end shake

   • 109 complaints (37%)
   • median 16,900 mi at 1.5 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2020–2026

   Owners describe steering with excessive play that needs constant small corrections to stay in a lane, and a violent side-to-side shaking of the front end and steering wheel at highway speeds, often triggered by a bump or pavement seam and lasting until the vehicle slows. Dealers in the complaints variously replaced the steering damper, the drag link socket or the power steering pump, told owners the play was normal for a Jeep, or could not duplicate the problem. Several owners report the condition returning after parts were replaced. Reported from as little as a few dozen miles up to roughly 36,000 miles, mostly at highway speeds of 45-75 mph.

   Recall 26V3630002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test drive at highway speed over uneven pavement and check how much the wheel moves before the tires respond. Ask whether the steering damper, drag link or steering pump has been replaced, and whether a drag-link service bulletin was applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We were heading out on a vacation trip on a cold(20+ degree day). We had just reached a road that we were merging on to and started accelerating to get up to speed. I went to change lanes, doing about 50mph, to pass a slower moving vehicle. I noticed the power steering quit functioning and had to muscle the steering to keep from going off the road. I continued down the road without power steering. When we slowed down to about 30mph to make the next turn, power steering started to function again. No more occurrances for the rest of the trip. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11644243, filed 2025-02

   “The vehicle at higher speeds is hard to control and keep straight. The steering seems to be loose and have too much play. This makes it hard to stay in the lane without constantly moving the steering by wheel left and right as if you were playing a video game.”

   NHTSA complaint #11405091, filed 2021-03, 50 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission warning messages, rough shifting and loss of

   • 31 complaints (11%)
   • median 37,301 mi at 3.5 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2020–2026

   Complaints describe the truck displaying a service-transmission message telling the driver to keep driving and not shut off the engine because it may not shift again, and in some cases failing to start or refusing to engage reverse or drive. Owners also report rough or slipping shifts, jerking and abnormal noises, with dealers diagnosing transmission failure or output-shaft and bell-housing damage in some cases. Reported from near-new to about 119,000 miles, with many reports in the 25,000-50,000 mile range.

   Recall 24V5720002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have the transmission scanned for stored fault codes, and ask whether any powertrain control module or transmission software updates were applied. On a manual, confirm every gear engages and stays engaged.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle has irregular downshifts in lower gears. While braking the downshifts can be heard as well as felt. The sounds and shake from downshifts vary in loudness and strength. Occasionally while braking and the automatic transmission is downshifting, the vehicle will surge forward. The surge that can be felt can vary and seem like the vehicle is being hit from the rear by another vehicle or sometimes it may feel like a slight push from behind. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11374392, filed 2020-11, 10 miles

   “The manual transmission would slip out of second gear while driving. This happened often and with no grinding noise. This causes problems while driving as the car will not be in gear when driver thinks that it is. This can be dangerous when driving in certain situations. There is no warning when it is about to happen. Car was at dealer for 31 days before they diagnosed the problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #11551660, filed 2023-10
3. 3
   Fuel system

   Stalling, loss of power and fuel-pump failures

   • 37 complaints (13%)
   • median 26,000 mi at 2.8 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners describe the engine stalling or losing motive power at speed, sometimes with a loud noise from the engine bay and then a no-restart, and dealers diagnosing fuel pump or fuel injection faults. Some of these complaints reference a fuel-pump recall and note that parts were not available to complete the repair; diesel owners also report DEF tank and sensor messages requiring replacement. Mostly reported between roughly 14,000 and 50,000 miles, often at highway speeds.

   Recall 22V767000Recall 23V263000

   What to check: Check whether the high-pressure fuel pump recalls (gasoline and diesel, if equipped) have been completed, and ask for any fuel-system service records. Note whether the truck has had a no-start or stall episode.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11541409, filed 2023-08, 14,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the power steering and brakes were still operational. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle off the roadway and attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11540578, filed 2023-08, 50,000 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Clutch overheating, burning smell and replacement

   • 23 complaints (8%)
   • median 42,000 mi at 3.8 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners of manual-transmission trucks report instrument-panel messages telling them the clutch is hot and to reduce clutch use, along with a strong burning smell, sometimes in stop-and-go traffic. Complaints describe clutch replacement at the dealer, and in some cases the message and symptoms returned after the repair, including after work done under a clutch-related recall. Mostly reported between about 6,000 and 60,000 miles, often in stop-and-go driving.

   Recall 23V116000Recall 21V028000Recall 24V572000

   What to check: If the truck has the manual gearbox, ask whether the clutch recall work was completed and whether the clutch has already been replaced; watch for a hot-clutch message or burning smell on a test drive in traffic.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contacts son owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact received recall notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”

   NHTSA complaint #11549224, filed 2023-10

   “The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that two years ago the vehicle was taken to a dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train); to prevent the clutch from overheating. However, the failure started after the vehicle was repaired under the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving, there was smoke coming from under the hood. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11767386, filed 2026-09, 26,000 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Battery drain, no-start and warning-light electrical faults

   • 27 complaints (9%)
   • median 26,525 mi at 2.7 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners report dead batteries and repeated no-starts even after battery replacement, random warning lights, wipers running while switched off, and a blank instrument cluster at startup. In one complaint a heating element in the heated steering wheel became hot and began smoking. Dealers in the complaints replaced batteries, diagnosed the instrument cluster, or could not duplicate the no-start. Reported from about 10,000 to 49,000 miles, with battery and cluster complaints spread across that range.

   Recall 24V6520003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the instrument-panel recall was performed and whether the auxiliary battery has been replaced, then check that the cluster lights fully at key-on and that the truck restarts reliably after sitting.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The heating steering wheel had an electrical short in the heating element where it began to melt the rubber of the steering wheel and start smoking. This became very hot where it could burn my hand. I was forced to pull over immediately to diagnose the problem before anything else could burn. The smoking stopped when I tuned off the heated steering wheel.”

   NHTSA complaint #11708632, filed 2026-01

   “The other day I went out to my truck and the battery was dead lights clicking and wipers going. It's the original battery so I assume that I needed a new one bought one put it in find a couple days and then went out in the morning and the battery was dead. Put in another new battery, same thing drove a few days and this morning the battery is dead. So something is draining my battery? I have not done anything to it since it was new no addition. There's a lot of form on the internet with similar issues concerned about what's draining my battery? …”

   NHTSA complaint #11612570, filed 2024-09

Buying note. Prioritize trucks with documented completion of the steering-pump, clutch and instrument-cluster recalls, and test drive at highway speed on rough pavement so steering wander or front-end shake shows up. Also ask about clutch and fuel-pump history, since owners report repeat repairs even after those items were addressed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.